Wings of Love (8 page)

Amy had dozed off herself until she heard Mr.
and Mrs. LaPointe as they entered the room.  She rose out
of the chair and greeted them both with a hug.

“How is he doing?”  Mrs. LaPointe
stood alongside his bed with a worrisome look upon her
face.  “I was going to bring him some pajamas but I
figured it was more important to get here right away.”

Amy explained to his parents all the details
Dr. Perry had given them so far.  He woke up from his
deep sleep just as Dr. Perry entered the room.

“Evening,” Dr. Perry displayed the x-rays on
the illuminated screen.  “The ligament is
torn.  We will graph a piece of healthy tendon from
either your knee or hamstring to hold your knee joint
together.  I’ve scheduled you surgery for tomorrow
morning.“

“How long will it be for me to get back to
normal?”  Adam pulled himself up slowly in bed. 

“Full recovery can take up to six
months.”  Dr. Perry answered as he shook Adam’s
hand.  “You get a good night’s rest and I will see you in
the morning.”

Amy sat there in silence as Dr. Perry’s words
hung in the air after he left the room.  She glanced over
at Adam who looked as if someone slapped him across the face.

“Son of a bitch!”  Adam picked up
the magazine and slammed it on the tray in
frustration.  “What the hell am I supposed to do for six
months?”  He turned his face away from her to hide his
emotions.

Amy’s heart melted that instance with
compassion as she gathered Adam into her arms and rocked him
gently.  Neither said a word to each other but at that
moment an unspoken bond had been made between the two of them.

Amy continued to sit with Adam and his
parents as they waited for him to get a room.  She rose
from the bed as a nurse came in to check on him.

“Angie!”  Amy exclaimed glad to see
a familiar face.

“Hi Amy.  How is he
doing?”  Angie asked as she checked his intravenous drip
and added his medication. 

“He has surgery tomorrow then we’ll know
more.”  Amy turned toward Adam’s parents and made
introductions.  “This is my brother’s girlfriend
Angie.  These are Adam’s parents.”

“Do you know what time his surgery
is?”  Mrs. LaPointe asked.

“It is scheduled for tomorrow at
9:00am.”  Angie said as she lowered his bed then looked
at his chart.  “I also have a room ready for him on the
third floor.  Room 328.”

Angie unlocked the wheels on the bed and
pushed the intravenous cart with it and Adam out of the
ER.  Mr. and Mrs. LaPointe grabbed their coats and
followed Amy down the hallway.  Angie stopped at the
elevator and pushed the up button.  The doors opened and
they all entered the elevator. 

Amy watched as Adam was set up in his new
room which was to be his home for the next week.  She
called the cafeteria and ordered his dinner.  She also
arranged for his television and phone service to be turned
on.  His parents and her visited awhile and watched the
evening news with him. 

“We’re going to head for home
now.”  Mr. and Mrs. LaPointe rose.  He helped
her with her jacket.  “Amy, we can give you a ride
home.”  They gave Adam a hug and kiss then waited for her
in the hallway.

“I’ll see you in the morning
Adam.”  Amy leaned over and kissed him on the
forehead.  “Oh, I almost forgot.”  She picked
up the gift bag and handed it to him.

He lifted the stuffed lion out of the bag and
moved his lips as he mouthed the words to himself.  He
looked up at Amy with misty warmth in his eyes.  “I love
you too, babe.”  He squeezed her hand then kissed
it. 

The last thing Amy wanted to do was leave
him, but his parents had already waited over five
minutes.  She kissed him again and left the room with
tears in her eyes. 

Amy sat in the back seat staring out the
window into the darkness of the night.  She tried to
remember the exact moment she had fallen in love with
Adam.  It really didn’t matter she
decided.  All that mattered was that he loved her
back.

***

Adam was in the operating room for four
hours.  Two hundred and forty of the longest minutes Amy
had ever endured.  Mr. LaPointe sat with Joey as they
watched The Phil Donahue Show.  Mrs. LaPointe sat across
from Amy crocheting an afghan.  She chatted with all of
them but her heart just wasn’t in it today.  She was
worried about all the things that could go
wrong.  
Please God let everything be alright
.

“The family of Adam LaPointe,” Dr. Perry said
loudly into the waiting room.  He noticed them as they
stood up and walked over towards them.  He still had his
scrubs on and a surgical mask around his neck. “Adam is doing
great.  He is a real trooper.  The surgery was
a success.  He should be able to go home in about a
week.  He is still under the anesthesia so he may not be
alert yet.  You’ll be able to see him in a couple
minutes.”

“Thank you.”  They all said at
once, relieved that all had turned out so well.

“I’m going to take off now,” Joey announced
as he looked at the clock on the wall.  “I promised Angie
I’d give her a lift home.  Her shift ends in ten
minutes.”

“Okay Joey.”  Amy gave him a big
hug.

“It was nice to see you again,” Mrs. LaPointe
said as she put away her afghan and yarn.

“Nice to see you both again
too.”  Joey shook Mr. LaPointe’s hand and walked out of
the waiting room.

Amy watched some television while Adam was
still asleep.  Her favorite show Little House
on the Prairie was on.  Mr. and Mrs. LaPointe
went home a few hours earlier to do all the chores on the
farm.  Amy sat next to Adam holding his
hand.  She was glad she could be here for him when he
needed her the most.  Amy was determined to give him all
the love, support and help he would need to make a full
recovery.  She wanted nothing more for him than to
fulfill his dream of playing hockey professionally.

Adam lifted his eyes slowly.  “Amy,
how did the operation go?”  His voice was raspy from the
anesthesia.

“It went great,” she said
enthusiastically.  “You’ll be back to normal before you
know it.”

***

Adam woke up the next morning to the sound of
Dr. Perry’s voice.  He stood by the end of the bed as he
talked to Amy.  He could only hear bits and pieces of the
conversation.

“He will need crutches…he won’t be able to
get it wet……need stitches removed in ten days…take pain reliever as
needed….keep leg elevated and apply ice …..needs someone to assist
him for a couple weeks….cannot drive.”

Adam woke up again this time to the pain of
his knee.  He looked through his eyes groggily and
noticed Amy sitting in the chair reading a book.  A nurse
came in and gave him a couple pain pills and he dozed back off
again.

Adam awoke a third time as a tall, dark
skinned man examined his knee.  “Good afternoon Mr.
LaPointe.  My name is Reggie and I will be your physical
therapist.  By the time you go home you will hate me,” he
joked as he took the ice pack off of his leg.  “Now I
want you to try and bend your knee.”

Adam grimaced as he tried to slide his foot
to bend his knee.  He managed to bend it slightly and
then his leg rested back on the
bed.  “Damn.  That’s the best I can do.”

Reggie slowly slid Adam’s foot toward him as
he made his knee bend.  He slowly brought it to rest and
repeated the same action several times.  “This is what we
want you to work towards and do on your own,” explained Reggie to
Adam and Amy.  Reggie worked together with them showing
the exercises he wanted Adam to do three times a
day.  “The most important thing to remember is, use it or
lose it.  You want to push yourself so you get full
mobility of your knee back.”

Adam was exhausted by the time his physical
therapy session was over.  “That wore me out more than if
I had played a whole game.”  He wiped the perspiration
from his forehead. 

“I’ll get a washcloth and some soap so you
can freshen up,” Amy said as she went over to the sink and filled
up a basin of water.

Adam sat up as she helped him.  A
part of him hated the fact that he had to let someone else take
care of him.  But the other part was glad it was
Amy.  He smiled and relaxed as she helped him wash his
back. 

“Don’t get too excited mister,” Amy raised
her eyebrows and smirked at him.  “Or I’ll hide your
crutches on you!”

Adam pulled her closer to him feeling her
soft skin against his bare chest.  He held her there as
he drunk in the smell of her hair.  He kissed her
hungrily while he rubbed her back.

The announcement loudly stated that visiting
hours were now over.

“Well, I better get going before I get kicked
out,” Amy said as he looked at her longingly.

He pulled her close to him again and kissed
her once more.  “I love you Amy.”

“I love you too.”  Amy’s heart
raced as she rose to leave and smoothed out her wrinkled shirt.

Adam viewed Amy as she looked in the mirror
fixing her hair before she left.  He felt so empty when
she walked out that door.  He never thought that he could
love someone as much as he loved Amy.  No one ever cared
about him like she had or made his life seem so worthwhile.

Chapter 8

“I brought you these sweatpants,” Amy handed
them to Adam.  “I thought it be easier for you to get
them on and off.”

“I bet you did.”  He smirked as he
took them from her then untied the hospital gown tossing it onto
the chair.  “Can you give me a hand?  I’m so
glad to be going home.”

Amy helped him pull the gray sweatpants up
over his knee carefully, not wanting to hurt his
injury.  “There, all set.”  She tossed him a
Detroit Tiger’s jersey and a pair of socks.

Adam caught the shirt and placed it over his
head pulling it snuggly over his body.  He put the sock
on his left foot and attempted the other one unsuccessfully.

“That looks good on you,” Amy admired how the
navy brought out the gray hues in his eyes.  She helped
him put the other sock on then laced up his Nike tennis
shoes.  “I picked up your prescriptions on the way over
here,” she explained.

Angie entered the room with a
wheelchair.  “Time to go,” she smiled.

“I’ll meet you outside with the
car.”  Amy searched for her keys in her purse, tossing
them lightly in her hand as she left the room.

She paid for her parking then drove the car
around to the front entrance, where Angie and Adam where
waiting.  Angie wheeled Adam out then helped Amy get him
into the car. She placed his crutches in the
backseat.  Angie waved as they pulled away from the curb
leaving the hospital behind them.

“I love you and I’m not lion,” Adam playfully
danced the stuff animal across the dashboard.

Amy shook her head then rolled her eyes as he
made the lion kiss her cheek.  “What meds did they give
you before you left?”  She treasured it when he showed
her his comical side. 

“I’m just happy to be going home,” Adam
smiled.  “It seems like I been gone forever.”

As they drove towards home the sun announced
the beauty of the day with sunbeams dancing through the
clouds.  Snow lay in patches over the fields while the
warmth from the sun melted it slowly.  The days were
getting warmer and longer with the promise of spring in the
air.

“I feel bad you have to waste your two weeks
of vacation,” Adam said seriously.

Amy turned quickly to look at
him.  “I’m looking forward to it.  Don’t feel
bad.”

“You are the sweetest person I know,” he
stuck the lion kiddingly in her face again.  Then he
changed his tone to a more solemn note.  “Thanks for all
you have done for me Amy.  I don’t know what I did to
deserve such a wonderful woman as you.  But I sure thank
God for you.”

“Boy, those meds have really kicked in,
haven’t they?”  She joked back but inside she was deeply
touched by his honesty.

Amy parked the car behind Adam’s truck in the
driveway.  She noticed Bob’s Camaro parked on the
street.  “I’ll run in and get Bob to help me get you up
the stairs safely.”

She ran up the steps and knocked on the front
door, humming 
Island Girl
 by Elton
John.  Bob opened the door and instantly smiled when he
saw Amy standing there. 

“Could you give me a hand with
Adam?”  She smiled back at him
innocently.  “I’m not sure if he can handle the walk up
the stairs.”

“Sure let me grab my shoes,” Bob took them
out of the hall closet.  He slipped them on his feet then
walked down the stairs with Amy, towering over her.

“Hey Adam.”  Bob greeted him
cheerfully.  “Glad to see you home.”

Adam slowly got out of the car using all his
upper body strength.  Amy handed him his crutches then he
walked towards the steps.  Bob and Amy steadied him on
each side as he carefully took each step.

Once inside they walked him over to the couch
and helped him sit down.  “Maybe you better sleep down
here for a few days until you get your strength up.”  Amy
ran upstairs to get his pillows and comforter.

As she entered his bedroom she caught a
glimpse of the man she cherished.  The walls were painted
blue and hockey sticks sat in every corner of the
room.  On his dresser were trophies of all shapes and
sizes.  She picked one up and read the inscription Adam
LaPointe-1975-Playoff MVP.  She placed it back as she saw
the picture frames that sat on his nightstand.  She
glanced at an older picture of him and his family standing with
fishing poles by the lake.  Another picture was of Adam
in his hockey uniform posing with his stick.  Two smaller
school pictures of his sisters sat among the others.

Amy snatched his comforter and pillows as she
hurried out of the room, running into Bob in the
hallway.  He placed his arms around her when she collided
into him.  Amy paused for a moment noticing how his body
engulfed the small space of the hallway and the scent of his
cologne.  She realized she was still in his arms and
quickly jumped away.